Untangling the Ambidexterity Dilemma through Big Data Analytics

Abstract

Ambidexterity theory suggests that the ability to simultaneously explore and exploit is linked to firm performance, but the empirical evidence to date is mixed. In this study, I review existing research on firm performance in the newspaper industry in order to identify the main causal factors in a single industrial context. Three broad categories emerge: media convergence, organizational ambidexterity, and business model innovation. By incorporating variables and arguments from these categories into a basic performance model, I develop a multi-dimensional conceptual framework of explore and exploit value chains. The article concludes with a discussion of how the explore/exploit framework can be operationalized using big data analytics, and recommendations for future research are offered.